How to be Vegan?

When first becoming aware of what really goes on in the production of meat, eggs, and dairy, many people react with understandable anger. They try to root out every single product associated with animal exploitation, both to remove their support of these practices and so as not to seem hypocritical. Unfortunately, the quest for personal purity is practically impossible. All around us are items connected in some way to animal suffering: some brands of white sugar (bone char used in some processing), monoglycerides (might come from an animal), non-dairy chocolate (made on machines that also make milk chocolate), beer and wine (animal products used in some processing), photographs and reel to reel movies (gelatin), bicycles (animal fat used in the vulcanization of tires), books (hooves and bones in binding glue), roads and buildings (animal products used in curing concrete), medicine (tested on animals), etc.

At this realization, many people either give up the entire philosophy, or they seek to join a vegan commune. At the other end, some non-vegans try to excuse their own support of the cruelties inherent in animal industries by pointing out all the minor animal products in items that vegans cannot help but use, with the implied argument being that you shouldn't take any action unless you can avoid everything. The truth is that any steps you take to remove your support from animal exploitation is valuable. It is not hypocritical to reduce as much suffering as you can, if reducing suffering is your goal.

After being vegan for several years, many people tend to find the lifestyle second nature, forgetting what it was like in their early days. For people just becoming aware of the issues of veganism, the path is neither clear nor easy. Even when they realize the cruelty of animal agriculture, many people see veganism as a deprivation of their favorite foods, the foods they think they need to feel satiated and healthy. They have been told all their lives that eating animals and animal products is necessary and good. Another barrier to acting upon the tenets of veganism is the fear of facing the moral implications of one's choices. Choosing to stop eating animals not only says that what one did in the past was "wrong," but it also implicitly communicates to family, friends, and colleagues that their continued eating of animals is wrong.

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